Of Mice and Lab Techs
by ti11ie
Summary: **SPOILERS for 10x18 FIELD MICE** My take on what happened after shift between Wendy and Hodges.Cross-posted on geekfiction community on livejournal.


Hodges glanced at his watch nervously. In reality he knew he had no chance that Wendy would show, absolutely no hope at all if he was honest, just that niggle deep in his gut that had kept him glued to the diner seat fifteen minutes after he should have gotten up and walked out. Bored and melancholic, he watched out of the window as the city woke up, allowing his thoughts to drift where they would take him. Inevitably they returned to the lab, to the day's revelations.

_ How had it come to this? _He wondered. Wendy had always been the lab hottie of course. There wasn't a guy in the building that didn't have a soft spot for her the size of Texas. That was what had narked him when he first met her. The way she would waltz into his Trace lab as if she owned the place, fully expecting to bat her eyelashes and flash her tempting cleavage and get her own way. He had made it his aim to become completely immune to her wiles, to show her that David Hodges among all men had an ounce of will power and self-respect. Yet she had always met his sarcasm and cutting remarks with equal wit and unremitting dignity...

And then he had made the damn board game. He had known right then. The look of hurt in Wendy's eyes had eaten him up for weeks. After that he had called a mental truce. He had had little choice when his emotions seemed to override his better judgment whenever she stuck her head through the door, the idiot inside him determined to be heard. He was sure she had known. She must have seen the change. It hadn't been just him that had changed though. He was certain. She had started making excuses to stop by and spend time with him. She even seemed to look at him differently now. The real question was when had she become _his_ Wendy? He couldn't be sure. All he knew was that almost over night they had gone from awkward colleagues to this. Whatever this was. Henry must have seen it to even ask him for his permission. Hell, even Catherine could be under no illusion as to the real reaction Wendy had been talking about in front of her... He sighed as he checked his watch again.

Finally Hodges drained the dregs of his fourth cup of coffee, in hindsight not the best choice of drink before he hit the sack, and threw some change down to cover the bill. He turned to the door, jacket in hand, and that's when he saw her. Wendy walked in, eyes on the floor as if it was necessary to will one foot to move in front of the other. The sudden appearance of the diner and, well, him in front of her seemed to fluster her no end. It was a side of her that he had seen brief glimpses of recently, and it moved something in him. This was no woman to hesitate or shrink back, and yet when she was with him... Hodges shook his head to clear the thought, and gestured across from himself to the empty side of the booth.

"I didn't think you were coming." He began carefully as the middle-aged waitress brought a fresh cup for Wendy and poured them both coffee without waiting to be asked. She clearly had more experience in these type of encounters than he did.

"I wasn't going to." Wendy distracted herself with cream and sugar, refusing to meet Hodges' eyes. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign of his frustration, but somehow still managed to wait her out. Finally she met his gaze, and was held there by the magnetic attraction she was no longer able to deny. They looked at each other for a long moment, each reliving the recent memory of lips pressing softly together. Her brown eyes went big with desire, and she chewed her lip as she tried to find the words to say to him.

"David, I already told you in the lab. It's not going to happen. I'm sorry." She managed to get it out with only minimal faltering, but her eyes were fixed back on the plastic stirrer she was using.

"Yeah I think I remember that. Right before a kiss that managed to reduce my impressive brain to mush. No, those signals aren't mixed at all." Wendy flushed, and Hodges immediately felt bad. _Way to get another kiss, wise guy._

"I'm sorry."She said weakly.

"So you're not even willing to give it a go? One date? You were going to give Henry that much." He didn't want to sound desperate, but he had thought that if he got her here that the battle would be won. This was not going well.

"Henry's the type of man I should be dating." Hodges smirked at this. One simple union of the lips had been enough to kill off any jealousy he had harboured for the other man. Electricity like that could not be faked. The poor guy stood no chance. The question was, did he?

"He's not what you want." They were on dangerous ground, they realised simultaneously.

"No, he's not. But that doesn't mean..." The silent implication rang loud in both their ears. Hodges bristled at her words. She couldn't even bring herself to say she didn't want him, and yet here they were. She was passing him up because he didn't fit her perfect little cookie cutter mold. It just didn't make sense... Then it hit him.

"You're scared. "

"No I'm not, I just want something different." Wendy bluffed, trying to rid her words of the panic that was rapidly beginning to colour them.

"You're scared, which means you're not just thinking about attraction or meaningless... _coffees_; you think there could be something more." Hodges had that annoying smirk on his face, the one he got whenever he worked something out before everyone else. Wendy knew all too well that there was no denying or disputing that look. Besides which she found it absolutely adorable.

"I'm sorry, this isn't going the way I planned. I should go." She didn't move.

"You weren't going to come. Now you should go. And yet... you're still here." After a long pause Hodges reached his hand across the table towards her, palm up. Slowly Wendy extended her hand to take his, and both sighed softly.

"Wendy, I'm an ass. I'm socially awkward, generally abrasive to everyone I meet..."

"No, David..." She tried to interrupt.

"Not my words. My supervisor review from Catherine." He continued with a half grin. "Generally abrasive, arrogant and just plain rude... But we've managed to get this far haven't we?" Wendy had seen many looks on Hodges' face. Angry, pleased, flirtatious, smug... especially smug, but she had never seen him look like this. He looked vulnerable. He looked as if her answer was holding the Earth in orbit. She knew right then what her answer was, the only thing it could be.

"So what do we do now?"

"We do what we've both been waiting to do since you walked in..." Hodges said with a grin. Wendy took this as her cue to lean over the diner table that separated them and press her lips against his. It took no encouragement for Hodges to join in, albeit with slightly more urgency. God he loved her lips. After a few tantalising kisses she pulled away with a sigh, suddenly very aware of their surroundings.

"Wow. I mean... I just meant we should order breakfast, but... wow." Wendy blushed a little, but was secretly pleased that her kisses were able to fluster the unflappable David Hodges like this. He looked over to the waitress, who immediately came over to take the order, having no doubt surreptitiously taken in the whole performance.

"You and your girlfriend ready to order?" A slight tug of her lips, not quite a smile, gave away her enjoyment of the squirming that resulted from her question.

"Yes we are." Hodges affirmed.

"Took you long enough." The waitress groused, apparently disappointed that her dig had gone mostly unheeded.

"Yeah, but I'm sure it'll be worth it." He winked at Wendy.


End file.
